Provided is a vacuum solar thermal collector module including a case having an open top and an internal space, a vacuum thermal collector panel provided inside the case and having a vacuum inside, and an insulation disposed between the vacuum thermal collector panel and the case to block heat transfer, wherein the vacuum thermal collector panel is plural and arranged in a horizontal direction inside the case.

A single-stack, solar power receiver comprising both a thermal absorber layer and a photovoltaic cell layer. The stack includes an aerogel layer, that is optically transparent and thermally insulating (OTTI); a spectrally selective high thermal conductivity (SSTC) thermal absorber layer; a bottom OTTI layer; and a PV cell layer. The SSTC layer includes a set of fins that substantially blocks solar radiation absorption in the band where PV cells are most sensitive. Photons with energies above or below this band block range are absorbed by the fins and the absorbed heat is conducted to pipes in the fin structure carrying a heated thermal working fluid to heat storage. Photons with energy in the band block range are reflected by the SSTC fins to the PV cell layer. The bottom OTTI aerogel layer keeps the PV cell operating near ambient temperature. The PV cell converts incident solar radiation to electrical energy.

It is provided a solar energy module for converting solar radiation to thermal energy. The module includes a thermally insulating element transmissive to solar radiation and having low transmissivity to thermal infra-red radiation, an absorbing element, a sealed enclosure, and a variable portion in the envelope of the sealed enclosure. This portion is adapted for varying the volume available to gas enclosed in the enclosure in accordance with changing temperature of the enclosed gas. Also, it is provided a solar energy module which includes a thermally insulating element, an absorbing surface and liquid pipes for absorbing the solar radiation, and an air duct thermally coupled thereof. The heated liquid and the heated air are usable for a variety of thermal applications. A heat storage may be thermally coupled to the absorbing surface and to the liquid pipes. The air duct has several air valves, and is associated with a controller for regulating air flow through the air duct. The controller may regulate heat flow in accordance with an optimization program, receiving inputs from several sources, like a sensor monitoring a building, a sensor monitoring the solar energy module, and an environment sensor.

Common solar radiation receivers are equipped with a chamber for transmission of an operating gas which is directed along to an absorber for solar radiation for thermal absorption. The absorber has a dome-shaped entry window made of quartz glass, wherein the inner side facing the absorber assumes a nominal interior temperature Ti of at least 950 C. during proper use, preferably at least 1000 C., whereas the outer side facing away from the absorber is exposed to the environment and subject to risk of devitrification. The invention relates to modifying the known solar radiation receiver so that a high absorber temperature can be set and thus a high efficiency of the solar thermal heating is enabled, without increasing the risk of devitrification in the region of the outer side of the entry window.

A solar heat collection tube with improved optical transmittance and durability to the external environment includes an inner tube through the interior of which a heat medium can flow, an outer tube that covers an outer periphery of the inner tube such that an annular heat insulating space is formed between the outer tube and the inner tube, and thermal expansion difference absorbing means or absorbing a thermal expansion difference between the inner tube and the outer tube. The outer tube is a glass tube, a first anti-reflection film is formed on an inner surface of the glass tube, a second anti-reflection film is formed on an outer surface of the glass tube, the second anti-reflection film is more durable to the external environment than the first anti-reflection film, and the first anti-reflection film has a higher optical transmittance than the second anti-reflection film.

A method of manufacturing a transparent pane, in particular a glass pane, which includes on at least one of its main surfaces a surface structure including an assembly of specified individual motifs in relief, in particular pyramids, cones, or truncated cones, created by embossing or by rolling. A structure is created on the surface of the pane constituted by individual motifs, based on one or more basic motifs but which are distinguished from each other by their depth, their height, and/or the perimeter of their base area, and/or by the position of their peak with respect to their base. With this variation, formation of intensity peaks of the reflected light is prevented and at the same time a high quality of light trapping is obtained by panes suitable, for example, for solar applications.

An extremely low cost solar concentrator made of membranes or films is inflated into a Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) a non-image concentrator. The portion of the inflatable concentrator, which is shaped into a CPC concentrator, is formed with reflective membranes or films, and the portions of the inflatable concentrator on the top of CPC and on the bottom of the concentrator are made of clear membranes or films. The incident light including parallel rays of light and diffuse light, as long as falling into the half acceptance angle of the CPC, will be concentrated to the bottom exit aperture of the CPC. Therefore, this type concentrator reduces the requirement to the accuracy of tracking for concentration. In addition, this type of concentrator demonstrates more tolerance to shape distortion for concentration than imaging system.

Disclosed is a method of applying a coating to a glass sleeve with an inner surface and an outer surface, the glass sleeve configured as a part of a solar-receiver tube. Thereby, the coating is solely applied to one of the surfaces of the glass sleeve. Also disclosed is a method of fixing such glass sleeve in an interior of a coating tank, such coating tank and a fixing arrangement for fixing such glass sleeve in an interior of a coating tank.

A solar collector that comprises a conduit for a working fluid, and a parabolic trough reflector arranged to focus reflected sunlight onto the conduit. The parabolic trough reflector is arranged to pivot around the conduit.

A solar collector that comprises a conduit for a working fluid, and a parabolic trough reflector arranged to focus reflected sunlight onto the conduit. The parabolic trough reflector is arranged to pivot around the conduit.